Some well-known San Antonio companies failed to claim their .xxx domains and at least two local businesses have moved to protect their brands from possibly being associated with smutty online content.

The .xxx designations went live late last year as a way to distinguish adult-entertainment sites. Many companies not part of the adult-entertainment industry moved quickly to block domains affiliated with their brands.

Valero Energy Corp. earlier this month took steps to secure the domain name Valero.xxx after it was acquired by a Netherlands man on Dec. 6 — the first day domain names went on sale to the public.

J Leegsma, who is listed as the site's registrant, said Monday that he planned to turn over the rights to the site to Valero after it filed an action with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It mediates domain-name disputes.

Valero “already filed the complaint before I told them that I don't want the name if it's the company's name,” Leegsma said. “I'm going to give it back.”

Leegsma planned to use the name to sell lingerie and related items. He said he chose Valero.xxx “because I like the name.”

A check of the WIPO's website Monday indicated Valero's case was “suspended.” Valero spokesman Bill Day said it was “entirely possible” that the case had been suspended because Leegsma promised to turn over the site to the company.

“If he plans on doing that, that would be very wise on his part,” Day said.

San Antonio-based H-E-B Grocery Co. on Dec. 30 filed an action with the National Arbitration Forum against an Atlanta man who acquired HEB.xxx. Eric Gonzales, who runs a wedding video-recording business, said he legally purchased the domain name on Dec. 8 after he contacted the grocer to ask if they were going to buy it.

“It's not in no way going to be an adult entertainment site. I don't do that. I can tell you another thing: that it never has been and never will be for sale,” he said.

Gonzales said he legally bought the site since he waited until after a 52-day window for registered trademark owners to block their trademarks from the .xxx registry, which is operated by Florida-based ICM Registry.

On Dec. 1, the grocer blocked H-E-B.xxx, said Dya Campos, a company spokeswoman. She wouldn't comment on whether the grocer would block other domains that incorporate the brand's name, such as MyHEB.xxx, HEBgrocery.xxx, and HEBsucks.xxx. The grocery chain owns the .com versions of those domains.

“We did register H-E-B.xxx and typically that would suffice when it comes to protecting our trade because H-E-B is such a common brand,” Campos said.

Individuals looking to make a quick buck online have turned to cybersquatting as a means to that end, said Loren Johnson, a senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

“This kind of squatting on names and the domain trade is a little bit unethical, but it's a legitimate business and there are a lot of people and companies that do it. There are companies that have made millions from doing that,” Johnson said.